Best Instagram Parental Controls to Keep Kids Safe Online

Instagram is considered as one of the most sought-after social media programs with a huge following, notably among adolescents. It lets young people share photos, videos, stories and keep in touch with friends. But parents came to realize the danger of Instagram and start taking actions to keep their kids safe on Instagram. Does Instagram have parental controls? Here we will introduce how to set Instagram parental controls, along with the Instagram block apps.

What are the Dangers of Instagram?

1. If parents don't timely intervention and monitoring, the Instagram app may damage your kids’ mental health. Since they via a perfectly innocent search could encounter the terrible contents that contain porn, violence, drug use, gamble, gun sales, etc.
2. The ability to tag a location (geotagging) is dangerous for kids. Followers with ulterior motives would find out exactly where your kids are.
3. Similar to other media platforms like Facebook and Snapchat, Instagram easily makes children addicted to it. They spend days glued to the app and ignore the communication with families. It is a waste of time and not good for the growth of children.

Does Instagram Have Parental Controls?

Basic Instagram parental controls are available (no monitoring feature). You can take measures to keep your children from inappropriate content on Instagram. But to restrict the use time by children, you need ask Instagram block apps for help.

Note: Instagram uses algorithms to show up related content based on past posts, tags, searches, etc. If your kids haven't searched for the sexual terms, they will not see those harmful contents. Moreover, children typically find nothing when hunting for explicit sexual contents, unless they use more obscure terms.

Instagram Parental Controls Review

#1. Change Privacy Settings

On mobile phone:

1. Go to the profile.
2. Tap the triple bar in the top right corner.
3. Touch the “Settings” at the bottom > “Privacy”.

You will be able to put Instagram parental controls on privacy:

• Comments- Block comments from special followers, and turn on the option- “Hide Offensive Comments”, hence your children will not see aggressive and injurious comments on Instagram posts.
• Story- Hide your kids’ stories and videos from someone, and select who can reply the stories.
• Activity Status- Disable the option, or people will know when your children are actively on Instagram.
• Account Privacy- Switch “Private Account” on, and then only approved users can see the Instagram posts of your kids.

On computer:

1. Head over to instagram.com.

2. Click and .

3. Click the “Privacy & Security”.

But the privacy setting on computer is different. It lacks the “Story” option (Story Sharing as instead), and you should hide bad comments using keyword Filters.

#2. Turn off Push Notifications

On mobile phone:

1. Go to profile
2. Tap the triple bar.
3. Touch the “Settings” > “Notifications”.
4. Toggle the "Pause All" option on.

It's an awesome idea to control how notifications are received on Instagram. This puts you in charge of the frequency that your kids obtain the notifications, ranging from 15 minutes to 8 hours.

#3. Unfollow Someone

On both mobile and computer:

1. Navigate to profile.
2. Hit “Following” at the top of the screen.
3. Choose the people you don’t want your kids to follow, and hit on “Following” > “Unfollow”.

Stop your children from following people who bring negative energy.

#4. Remove Followers

On mobile phone:

1. Still on profile, and tap “Followers”.
2. Scroll through your followers list until you find someone you need to remove and tap the three dots button to the right.
3. Tap “Remove”.

#5. Report an Account, Post and Comment

Instaporn, the sexualized content on pure photo app, has found methods to access the minds of adolescents. If you don’t perform Instagram parental controls and report those porn or abuse contents, your child is very likely to be one of the victims.

One: Report or block a user

On mobile and computer:

1. Go to the account profile you intend to report

2. Hit (Android) or (iOS and computer)

3. Report or block the user.

On your mobile phone, you can also choose to restrict the account.

Two: Report a post

On mobile phone:

1. Locate the post that you’ve got an issue with.
2. Tap the three little dots.
3. Tap “Report…” > “It’s inappropriate”, and finally choose your reasons, such as “Suicide or self-injury”, “Violence or dangerous organizations”, etc.

On Computer:

1. Find the destructive post.
2. Click on the three dots.
3. Choose “Report inappropriate” > choose a reason like “Nudity or pornography”.

Three: Report a comment

On mobile phone:

1. Tap the comment you wish to report.
2. Tap the exclamation point in the upper right corner.
3. Choose “Abusive Comment”.

On Computer:

1. Find the inappropriate comment.
2. Click on the three dots button next to it.
3. Choose “Report” > “Abusive Comment”.

#6. Check Search History

To know whether your kid has searched for dangerous contents or not, check his or her search history.

On mobile phone:

1. Locate to your child’s profile.
2. Tap the three dots button.
3. Tap “Settings” > “Security” > “Search History”.

Once you find out something inappropriate, clear it immediately and tell your child not to search the related posts anymore.

#7. Remove the Location Data

On mobile phone:

1. Head over to a post that you would like to remove its location.
2. Tap on three dots button.
3. Tap on “Edit”.
4. Tap the location > remove it > save your change.

#8. Disable Comments for Existing Post

Optional steps of Instagram parental controls

On mobile phone:

1. Choose the post you want to alter.
2. Tap the three dots button.
3. Select “Turn Off Commenting”.

How to Block Instagram on Mac, Windows, and Android

The best Instagram parental controls apps offer methods to limit time spent on media platforms. So if you don’t wish your kids to access Instagram for a long time, just block access to Instagram.

Cisdem AppCrypt is an easy-to-use Instagram blocker app for Mac, Windows, Android, iPhone, and iPad. Whether your kids get addicted to desktop programs or websites, Cisdem AppCrypt enable you to control your kids’ time online. Besides blocking Instagram.com and Instagram client app, it can also lock apps like Facebook, Photos, iTunes and Mail or block any site on browsers like Chrome and Safari.

This Instagram parental controls app has a slick interface, making it simple to manage. The software is specifically designed for children, young adults, and college students.

Free Download macOS 10.12 or later Free Download Windows 10 or later

The following steps show you how to do the blocking on a Mac or Windows computer. The process for blocking Instagram on Android is similar to that on a computer, but even simpler. Phone users can get the app from Android's Google Play Store or Apple's App Store and follow the same general steps outlined below.

Lock Instagram Client App (e.g. Go for Instagram):

1. Run the software. If it’s your first time to use the Instagram blocker app, it will require you to set a password for unlocking items and modifying settings.
2. Click the “App Lock” tab from the software toolbar, and add the Instagram client app.

To unlock the app, just select the app and press the delete key.

Block Instagram.com:

1. Click on the “Web Block” tab.
2. Enter URL instagram.com and click Add.

Pro tip 1. Keep track of unexpected intruder

Once the Instagram client app and instagram.com are encrypted, your kids won’t be able to access them. If they try to open Instagram with incorrect passwords, Cisdem Instagram parental controls app will record the behaviors via photos taken by Mac camera, failed reasons and times included.

Pro tip 2. Create a schedule to unlock app

In the toolbar, click Schedule. There, can limit the usage of the Instagram client app with a scheduled time interval. Specify a time daily or weekly when to unlock Instagram client app or other social media apps.

Conclusion

You can't and shouldn't preclude your kids from using Instagram though the risks exist. Installing quality Instagram parental controls apps may be the best solution, which not only meets your kids' demands but keeps them safe online within the control of parents. If you are looking for reliable Instagram block apps for desktop, I highly recommend Cisdem AppCrypt and Cold Turkey Blocker. As for the Instagram monitoring app for iPhone and Android, Pumpic might help.